Crickets are one of those bugs that wouldn’t typically bother you. Sometimes, the song of one cricket in the outdoors can be relaxing to some people, but it is a different experience when it is inside your home. Even though crickets hardly do any damage, they are a problem when it is an infestation.

Their loud and constant chirping noise is quite an annoyance, especially if many. Also, crickets can chew through fabrics, leather, furs, and carpeting and create holes on your property.

Lastly, crickets can jump as high as three feet and spread diseases and parasites such as salmonella and disease-causing germs. This article will take you through various ways you can get rid of crickets in the garage.

What attracts crickets in the garage?

Although crickets typically love the outdoors, they are attracted to warmth, light, and food, which brings them into your garage. Crickets are also nocturnal and will be drawn into your garage if you keep the lights on all night.

They will feed on organic material in your garage, such as from your garage garbage can. There are also selected species of crickets that eat through natural fabrics like silk, cotton, wool, and linen, especially if the materials have food stains or sweat on them.

Water sources like leaking pipes or a pet’s water bowl will draw crickets into your garage.

Crickets may also find their way into your garage in response to a drought or lots of rain.

Getting rid of crickets in the garage

Crickets are not the most destructive insects. However, too many crickets can lead to sleep disturbance, loss of property, and health risks, hence the need to eliminate them.

The best ways to remove crickets out of your garage is by killing the crickets, removing nesting grounds, and making your home inhospitable to crickets. Here are a few measures you can implement to get rid of them.

Declutter your garage

Pests and bugs love clutter because they can burrow through narrow spaces for shelter or build their nests. They can also find enough food sources in cluttered areas. So the first step to removing crickets from your garage is reducing or eliminating as much clutter as possible.

Take out everything you do not need and adequately arrange the rest in boxes on vertical shelves. Avoid leaving your property on the ground.

Decluttering will restrict hiding spots; they will feel unsafe and naturally leave your garage to look for other places for shelter.

Vacuum the garage

After decluttering, vacuum around the garage to remove dirt and food pieces that could easily attract the crickets back into the garage. Vacuuming may also help to remove cricket eggs from small corners and spaces.

Use a vacuum cleaner with a High-efficiency Particulate Air(HEPA) filter to pull the eggs from the baseboards and nesting areas. Then throw away the vacuumed content in a sealed plastic bag.

Close your garage garbage can

Garbage smells attract crickets. If you keep your garbage can in the garage before pick-up day, cover the trash in a sealed bin to deter crickets from breeding in your garage. Open trash cans are also an invite for food that may promote breeding in your garage.

Clean up your outdoors

Your outdoors can also attract crickets around your home, which bring them into the garage. Cut down any tall vegetation and weeds you have around the garage. Crickets use the tall grass as cover and may end up flying into the garage to hide during the day.

Remove trash, piles of wood, or boxes stored outdoors, clean the area and cover the pile with a tarp to prevent the crickets from taking shelter there.

Seal the gaps

If you close the garage door at night and are still infested with crickets, inspect the garage for holes and fill them.

Closing all possible entry points will significantly reduce the chances of crickets and other critters taking up residence and breeding in and around your garage. Sealing cracks also eliminates their nesting options.

Check the window sills, seal them with caulk, and ensure the door thresholds are secure and tight. You can also use expanding foam, sealants, rubber trims, and patching compounds for sealing cracks and holes.

Check the rubber gasket on your garage door, ensuring it’s tight and flush against the garage floor. If it is loose, replace it.

Check the vents and ensure they have screens to get rid of noisy crickets at night.

Use diatomaceous earth

Food-grade diatomaceous earth(DE) is a naturally occurring sedimentary rock that is harmless to animals and humans but highly dangerous to bugs with an exoskeleton. Sprinkle the food-grade diatomaceous earth around the external and internal perimeter of your garage.

It will dehydrate the crickets and eventually kill them. Also, DE is more effective when dry; therefore, it is best to apply it in areas that aren’t wet. You can get DE from your local gardening store.

Be careful not to use pool-grade DE. Diatomaceous earth is harmless when ingested but avoid inhaling it.

Use chemical sprays

If none of the above solutions work, try using chemical insecticides to eliminate the crickets in your garage. Chemical insecticides are a sure way of getting rid of insects, including crickets.

First, however, you have to ensure that you use the best insecticide for crickets. Choose one that contains either chlorpyrifos or diazinon to get the best results.  

Once you get your insecticide, follow the manufacturer’s instructions strictly to use it. First, spray the entire garage and its perimeter, focusing on the foundation and the ground around the garage. The insecticide will kill the locusts and also their eggs.

Trap the crickets

Sticky glue traps and glue boards are non-toxic to trap crickets in your garage, especially if you have children and pets around. Place the traps around problem areas such as walls, corners, windows, and doorways.

Boric acid

Also known as monobasic Lewis acid of boron, if often used as a pesticide effective against crickets and other insects. It comes in powder, pellet, and tablet form. Wear gloves, then sprinkle them where crickets nest indoors and outdoors.

Keep animals and children away from the garage after using boric acid. It is not fatal but can cause severe vomiting and flu-like symptoms.

Manage moisture

While searching for water, crickets may enter and nest in your garage if you have water sources available—repair leaky pipes, faucets, and appliances that use water to avoid attracting crickets into the garage.

In addition, ensure there is ample ventilation to reduce dampness. You can also invest in a dehumidifier for winter to reduce moisture in your garage and around your home.

Remove bright lights

Crickets are attracted to bright lights, especially since they are nocturnal insects. So if you light your garage with bright bulbs, you could be luring them into your house. Therefore managing the lights in and around your home is an excellent way to get rid of cricket noise at night.

Try installing lower-light ‘bug lights’ or amber LED lights as they do not attract critters and crickets.

If you light your yard or driveway at night, position the lights away from the garage to avoid drawing the crickets near your house.

You can also switch to motion sensor-activated lights fixtures to avoid having your garage lights on throughout, but only when necessary.

Installing sodium vapor bulbs will also less likely attract crickets.

What smells keep crickets away?

Several types of smells deter crickets away from your home and garage. They include:

• Lemon oil
• Cinnamon oil
• Peppermint oil
• Essential oils derived from thyme, rosemary, cloves
• Garlic powder

All you have to do is spray any of the above oils around your garage and its doorway, and it will repel the crickets and keep them away from your garage.

What kills crickets instantly?

The fastest way to kill crickets is using a powerful chemical spray. However, manufacturers do not make spray specifically for crickets, most target various pests. A pesticide such as the Ortho BugClear Insect Killer effectively kills crickets indoors and outdoors within minutes. Therefore, the elements such as water and heat do not affect their efficiency in killing crickets and other pests.

Another great cricket killer spray is Terro T2302, which kills crickets instantly and has a long-lasting residual control. Spray it in crevices, around the garage doorway, under carpets and furniture, then repeat after four weeks if re-infestation occurs, but do not apply more than once per week.

How to get rid of crickets naturally

Below are our top solutions for removing crickets from your garage naturally.

Natural predators

Allow natural predators such as lizards, cats, and birds to thrive in your garage, as they will naturally control the cricket population.

If you have lizards in the garage, avoid using insecticides as they are also toxic to these predators.

Let your cat roam outdoors and in the garage.

You can also install a bird feeder to attract birds around your house. The downside is that you will have to deal with bird poop stains on your concrete driveway.

Molasses

Molasses are bait traps for crickets. Fill a jar with molasses and water in the ratio of 1 to 10, then pour portions of it on paper plates and place them in designated areas in the garage. The sweet smell will attract the crickets, the stickiness will trap them, and the water will eventually drown them or die from hunger.

Preventive maintenance

Finally, after getting rid of the crickets from your garage, you need to maintain preventive measures to ensure they do not come back in the long run. Ensure the garage and its immediate surrounding as few cricket enticements as possible.

• Keep boxes and storage containers in your garage vertically stacked and away from the wall to expose the crickets.
• Keep the vegetation around the house neatly mowed, weeded, and appropriately watered. Avoid flooding your lawn. Prune the trees and brush as well.
• Store your firewood at least 20 feet away from your home in a separate shelter if possible.
• Clean your gutters regularly.
• Vacuum the garage regularly to remove the eggs. Then, when the crickets find their breeding grounds destroyed, they will naturally avoid your garage.
• Keep your garage doors, and windows closed at night to limit entry into the garage.
• Cover your garage garbage bin and ensure it is clean after trash collection. The smell of rotting garbage attracts crickets and other critters.

Grow nitrogen-fixing plants

Crickets feed on young plants. So if you have plants and flowers around your garage that crickets could feed on and destroy, try planting nitrogen-fixing plants are legume plants such as peas and beans,  garlic, sweet potatoes, clover, and cilantro irritate crickets and deter them.

Home remedies for crickets

If you have pets and children who access your garage, you may want to avoid using dangerous chemicals to eliminate the crickets. Luckily, there are household products you can use to help get rid of the crickets in your garage. They include:

Water and soap

This mixture is a natural pesticide toxic to crickets and other pests in your home or garage.

Fill a spray bottle with non-fragrant liquid soap and water, then spray plenty of the mixture on the crickets. The soapy mixture will then cause the cricket exoskeleton to break and die.

The downside here is the method is time-consuming as you have to look for the crickets, making it less effective if you do not have an infestation.

Chilli and garlic powder

Chilli and garlic powder are not only great cooking spices but also effective at deterring crickets from your garage and home. The capsaicin in the peppers will burn the sensitive exoskeleton of crickets, repelling them and potentially killing them.

The garlic also burns their exoskeleton, and the garlic scent repels them, making this mixture a powerful bug repellent.

Mix equal parts of chili and garlic power, the sprinkle some around the perimeter of your lawn and in the garage doorway. You can also use the same mixture with dish soap and water to make a bug spray.

Mix equal parts chili and garlic powder, one tablespoon of biodegradable liquid dish soap, and a cup of water in a spray bottle. Allow the solution to sit overnight, then spray it under furniture, corners, and anywhere you suspect crickets breed and nest.

Check this too: How to Keep Flies Out of the Garage

Salt and white vinegar

The mixture of vinegar and salt is acidic and will dehydrate and kill crickets and other insects. In a spray bottle, mix three tablespoons of regular table salt, 1/4 of white vinegar, one cup of water, and three tablespoons of lemon juice(optional). Then spray the homemade pesticide around and inside your garage.

Conclusion

Whether you choose natural methods, home remedies, or pesticides, the solution we have discussed in the article should help you remove and keep crickets out of your garage. Note that killing the crickets will not be enough.

You have to do preventive measures to ensure they do not come back. We encourage you to use the methods in tandem for the best results.